Meet Yoko

Yoko Galvin was born in Tochigi, Japan. She travelled around the world in the 1970s, visiting Russia, Europe, and Canada, gaining experiences that she has beautifully incorporated into her art. Her unique perspective on life, love, and relationships results in some of the most captivating and inspiring pieces of musical and visual works.

As a visual artist, each drawing of a flower arrangement, Japanese woman, scenery, or kimono is original and signed Maeda Yoko. Each piece makes careful use of vivid colors and deliberate strokes as she strives to reduce her subject to its most elemental parts, only to build it up anew as a one-of-a-kind vision that is uniquely her own.

As a musical artist, Yoko's lyrics come from a place of determined yet suppressed womanhood. At the same time, her lyrics are framed in haunting melodies, and set within contemporary musical backdrops. Her expressive alto voice provides the range and emotion that lets her stories come alive.

In 1996, she began selling her drawings and paintings to help street youth and support charity organizations. To date, she has sold or donated in excess of 250 pictures to various organizations such as Inn from the Cold, The Back Door, Society for the Treatment of Autism, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Alberta Children's Hospital, Association of Arthritis, as well as to various churches and individuals. Her art has been sold in silent auctions for different charity organizations, fetching several hundred dollars per piece.

Her musical efforts yielded her 1995 debut CD release "A Woman's Tale", an 11-song collection composed and performed by Yoko, and produced and arranged by award-winning producer Demetrio Navarro. All proceeds from the CD were donated to help people in need. She teamed up once again with producer Navarro to release her second album, "Fly Away", a 14-song collection reaffirming her belief in the strength, resiliency, and dignity of womanhood.

Yoko released the video to accompany the song “Don’t Give Up” from her 2nd album to raise awareness for the street charity Inn from the Cold along with various other non-profit organizations. She particularly connects with the goals of Inn from the Cold, which is the early childhood intervention in homeless families.

The video captures the story of Brian, who has now successfully transitioned to a life away from the street. His story was captured by CTV Vancouver in December, 2015. As background music, CTV integrated the chorus hook for “Don’t Give Up”. Yoko was very honored and excited to be included in such a inspiring and heartwarming story.

Yoko is very grateful to her family, especially to her husband Phil. She also expresses her deep appreciation to longtime friend and collaborator Demetrio Navarro who has been supporting her many endeavors in the past 2 decades as her musical producer.

Yoko lives in Western Canada with her husband Philip, where she enjoys being a mother and grandmother.